An interesting research study be the Online Publishers Association shows that marketers prefer membership and niche websites to portals (Yahoo (YHOO), AOL, MSN (MSFT) and others).
"Specifically, the report concludes that OPA visitors are 97% more likely than the population at large to own or lease a luxury car, while portal visitors are 65% more likely to do so. OPA visitors also are 117% more likely to trade stocks, bonds or mutual funds online, compared to portal visitors, who are 65% more likely to do so. OPA site visitors are 21% more likely to have purchased real estate in the last six months, while visitors to portal sites are 3% more likely to have done so; and the OPA audience was 71% more likely to have taken five or more vacations in the last year, while the portal audience was 40% more likely to have taken five-plus vacations. The OPA compiled these statistics based on panel data from Nielsen//NetRatings @Plan Summer 2006 index and MRI's Spring 2006 index."
The report goes on to conclude that vistors to member and niche sites are more willing to participate in spending money than those than those using portals.
Almost right away some people started attacking the findings because it represents the difference between the mass-media mentality and specialized targeting.
The point in all of this to me isn't having to make a choice of one against another, but rather it is where you will get the most return on your investment.
One good way to look at it is portals are more of a fishing expedition (even with targeting technology), while with OPA's you already know where the fish are and what they're biting on. That's why conversion rates are so much higher in the specialized areas.
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